Principle for safeguarding the possibility for individual persons to swim and breathe in water



3,246,350 FOR INDIVIDUAL WATER April 19, 1966 J. POLLMANN PRINCIPLE FORSAFEGUARDING THE POSSIBILITY PERSONS TO SWIM AND BREATHE IN Filed Feb.27, 1964 //v VEN roe J. POLLMANN OLJMJJA A TTORNEY United States Patent3 2 Claims. ol. 9-313 The invention is an exceptionally simple principleto provide an individual person intentionally or accidentally in thewater with the necessary buoyancy for carrying out an activity orlife-saving function and it also enables such an individual to breathe,so as to be able to stay on the surface safely for any length of time nomatter what his overall weight and without requiring him to execute anysystematic swimming motions.

A number of different expedients to help maintain the buoyancy of thehuman body have been known for ages. The most customary means to thisend are probably the ringshaped life saver, a structure filled with corkor foam rubber, or the life jacket, which is worn directly on the bodyand consists of cork sections or is designed as a garment inflatablewith human breath or automatically with compressed air and is worn byswimmers or shipwrecked persons in order to stay on the surface. Inaddition to these conventional lifesaving means in the form of corkrings or life jackets which are individualized safety devices that anysea vessel or aircraft is required to have-on board in addition toother, more involved facilities, there are also more primitive models,notably the cork belt worn for buoyancy by persons learning to swim.

On the other hand, the only devices able to safeguard their wearersagainst the inhibiting effect of heavy seas and the associated dangerdue to water entering the respiratory system through the mouth or noseare either worn as separate items of equipment or, if combined with thebuoyancy devices, represent complete clothing items with artificialfresh-air supply or costly supplementary equipment.

In view of this, the present invention proposes to assure buoyancy forindividual persons in the Water as well as an adequate supply of air bymeans of an exceptionally simple expedient characterized by providingcontinuous buoyancy of an order adequate to all demands as well as byproviding a spare supply of enough fresh air to enable the swimmer tobreathe from it until the normal fresh-air supply from atmospherebecomes available again.

This expedient essentially consists of the fact that the hydrostaticbuoyancy of the person in the water is achieved exclusively by theexpended air he breathes out. T 0 this end, this air is collectced in aballoon-shaped envelope made of elastic material so that the head of theswimmer is enclosed and yet has adequate room. In accordance with thefirst procedural step of the invention fresh air is supplied to theswimmer from the atmosphere through a valve assembly placed on top ofthe balloon, whence an air hose leads to the mouth of the swimmer. Thenext procedural step is the process of breathing out, which causes theelastic balloon material to become more inflated with each breath untilits elastic material is taut. The third and last procedural step dealswith ejecting excess air after the balloon has been fully inflated. Eachadditional breath causes the superfluous air to be ejected via theretension strap around the neck into the water and thus to atmospherebecause it cannot return upward through the hose due to the one-wayvalve at the top of the elastic enclosure.

This procedure as envisaged by the invention not only makes it possibleto receive any amount of fresh air from the atmosphere under normalconditions, but it is also advantageous in utilizing air breathed out toinflate the balloon to provide and constantly maintain additionalbuoyancy to warrant that the wearer can stay on the surface continuouslyno matter how he is clothed. Beyond this, it must be consideredexceptionally vital that this device enables the swimmer to span briefinterruptions of fresh-air supply by breathing from the contents of theballoon, whose oxygen/carbon-dioxide composition is regenerated againonce the regular supply of fresh air from atmosphere sets in again andthe used air is forced out by excess pressure.

To perform this function, the invention uses a balloonshaped envelopemade of elastic material which is transparent in its entirety. A numberof polyvinylchloride films are known that are fit for such applicationbecause they are suitably soft and yet tear and puncture proof and notimpaired by ageing. To assure that the requisite buoyancy will beprovided and that the enclosed head will have sufiicient freedom ofmotion, the balloon, which can be spherical or ellipsoidal in shape musthave an approximate net volume of 65 dm (about 1 /2 gal.), which wouldamount to a sphere diameter of 0.5 in. (about 20 in). Such an elasticstructure can readily be slipped over the head and it must then befastened to the neck of the wearer. This fastening simultaneously has ascaling function permit excess used air to escape but keep water fromentering. But to prevent the transparent balloon material from becomingfoggy as a result of deposits of condensed water caused by thedifference in temperatures, the balloon foil is kept transparent in thewearers field of vision by appropriate measures designed to make thisarea immune to condensation. There should not be any need for suchmeasures on the outside of the enclosure since the surrounding air islikely to always provide a sufiicient drying effect.

A swimmer wearing the elastic balloon enclosure about his head receivesan adequate fresh-air supply through the valve assembly at the top ofthe enclosure. This valve assembly is best mounted on the part of theballoon farthest from the water, bearing in mind the position of theballoon in its weighted state and its approximate stance while thewearer is swimming. This valve assembly functions as a so-called one-waygate which only permits air to be sucked in for breathing purposes andretains used air within the envelope. Moreover, the valve assembly mustalso as far as possible keep water from entering if the entire enclosurebecomes flooded on the outside due to the movement of water or ifsplashwater comes in its vicinity. A sizeable assortment of devices thatcould more or less full meet this requirement can be assumed to be knownand these could readily be chosen as alternatives if they should befound to be better suited than the design proposed under this inventionin its basic outline.

Through a flexible hose of adequate diameter the valve assembly isconnected to a mouthpiece shaped appropriately so as to facilitate itsbeing held or to a breathing mask which, for the sake of absolutesafety, is fastened unbudgably in front of the mouth and/or the nose ofthe swimmer by means of suitable retentive devices at the back of hishead or neck. The above hose or set of hoses must have a diameter largeenough to permit sufiicient air for breathing to pass through and itmust be formed and led so as to be unable to endanger breathing bytightening at bends or shifting out of position. For this purpose it isfastened to the valve assembly at the top in such a way that it can berotated and at the bottom it terminates in one or two fittings on bothsides of the mask or even on its neck portion. Depending on whichposition is deemed more appropriate, the breathing mask itself can beattached in front of the mouth and/or nose of the swimmer and the areaof the face covered is largely sealed off against the area within theballoon enclosure. For this purpose the edges of the mask have aperipheral sealing pad along the side facing the skin and by means of anelastic retentive binding the mask is fastened around the back of thehead or neck. To connect the breathing area in front of the mouth and/or nose of the wearer to an adapter nozzle near or on the attachmentdevice at the back of the head, the hose fittings on both sides haveform-cast or attached hoses which can be kept in place by straps if suchstraps are worn. Another alternative is to have two separate hosesemerge from one hollow fitting each on the sides of the breathing maskand lead them to a double termination at the bottom of the valveassembly; for reasons of practicality this double termination should becapable of being rotated axially. If this solution were used, the safetyfactor of the air supply would be increased and the forming of thebreathing mask itself and its retaining and fastening devices would be.less costly to realize without the hose pattern interfering with thefield of vision of the swimmer.

A further refinement of the invention is that the breathing mask mountedin front of the mouth and/ or nose of the swimmer not only warrants areliably functioning and water-free air-supply from the atmospherethrough the valve assembly at the top of the balloon and the set ofhoses so that the swimmer can'breathe, but it also fulfills theadditional function of permitting used air to be breathed out into theballoon interior without difiiculty so that the balloon will be inflatedand provide the additional buoyancy. If the swimmer is to be freed fromthe requirement consciously to breathe in through the mouth and outthrough the nose or vice versa, the ballooninflating'process can beaccomplished with the aid of a valve arrangement through which theexpanded mask chamber in front of the mouth and/ or nose opens into theinterior of the balloon. Using the familiar example of a I gas mask,this valve system can be made to close automatically when the swimmerbreathes in and opens only to let air escape into the balloon interiorfor inflating purposes, since the one-way valve assembly at the top ofthe envelope keeps it from leaving through that aperture.

Another refinement of the invention envisages designing this exit valveitself or a second, parallel system to enable air to be breathed in fromthe balloon interior if the swimmer applies a certain intensity ofsuction. or by means of a certain mechanical prestressing of the valvesystem to provide for when the valve assembly at the top of the envelopeis blocked by water, be it by total submersion or simply by a sizeableamount of splashwater, so that the swimmers supply of fresh air fromatmosphere is interrupted. If providing such a differential valve systemwith dual function-s for various uses would prove too costly, the exitsystem and the reserve breathing system could be made to consist ofseparate valve arrangements and mounted'side by side on the front of thebreathing mask so that both would have access to the masks expandedbreathing chamber.

A breathing mask of this kind, namely one that encloses both the mouthand the nose of the swimmer and thus does not require him to adhere toany breathing instructions, is likely to be the better solution forlifesaving applications, since shipwrecks and emergency landings at sealeave many of the affected persons without sufficient time forreflection, and excitement as well as fear usually lead those in such aspredicament to ignore instructions completely. Such considerations showthat the last-named variant of the breathing mask can be regarded asparticularly panic-proof because there is practically nothing theswimmer can do wrong.

Along the same lines, the fact that the swimmer can always draw atemporary supply of air from the interior of the balloon if the supplyof fresh air from atmosphere is blocked, represents a vital safetyfactor with favorable psychological as well as physiological effectsbecause the swimmer knows that he can always continue breathing;

the physiological advantage is that there is no spontane ous crampingsuch as could occur particularly if a person were cut oif from his airsupply immediately after he has breathed out.

Purely from a physiological point of view this breathing-alternative asprovided for under the invention, enabling a swimmer to breathe used airstored in the balloon interior, is based on the fact that air whenbreathed out for the first time has such a low carbon dioxide voltunethat it can be breathed in again and safely a few more times before anexcessive CO volume can start damaging the blood circulation. But sincethe invention envisages that breathing from the balloon interior shouldand can only take place if access to the outside atmosphere iscompletely blocked and such a condition is generally of no more than ashort duration, and in view of the fact that continued breathing andejection of used air through the neck collar always keeps the air withinthe balloon at approximately the same CO -content level of a first orsingle breathing-out process and will be lowered to this level orregenerated quickly even after several breaths have been taken, itfollows that the reserve breathing aspect of the invention represents anunquestionable safety factor inasmuch as any interruption of fresh-airsupply from atmosphere can be spanned safely and the swimmer accordinglyhas the reassuring feeling that he can never be cut off from a source ofair for breathing purpose-s.

Another provision of this invention is that the balloon envelope thatencloses the head of the swimmer is fittingly attached at his neck insuch a way that his only source of fresh air is through a breathing maskor mouthpiece from which a hose or hoses lead(s) to the valve assemblylocated at the top of the envelope. The function of this neck strap isadequately to seal the balloon interior off against the surroundingwater and permit excess air to escape readily after the balloon has beeninflated sufliciently. The neck strap can either have a peripheralsealing pad of suflicient elasticity or it can be executed as an elasticcollar. It can additionally be provided with special sealing substancessuch as a pressure-reducing foam-rubber coating or something similiar.Since the retaining strap itself need not fulfill any sealing functionsbut must only prevent undesirable openings between the wearers neck andthe base of the envelope, it can be provided in various neck-sizes.Units designed for use as life-saving equipment on the high seas willappropriately have an added continuation of some sort encompassing thechest or extending beneath the wearers armpits in order to safeguardagainst injuring the. wearer or damaging the equipment on impact orsubmersion after having jumped from a higher location with the balloonalready fully or partially inflated. There is no need for detailedcomments on how this could be done since there are a number of solutionsalready in existence whose principles could be used.

An additional, vital advantage of the invention presently underdiscussion is that all of its parts are elastic except for therelatively small valve assemblies at the top of the envelope and at thefront of the breathing m-ask, so that a prospective wearer can alwayscarry with him the collapsed elastic balloon envelope along with itssealing and retaining apparatus and the fresh-air valves as connectedthrough the hose system to the mouthpiece or complete breathing mask.When in a collapsed state, the equipment as envisaged under thisinvention would take up only a fraction of the space the life-savingmeans used heretofore require and yet would always be ready for use. Theunit can accordingly be packed in a suitable casing and passed out atthe start of a sea voyage or flight so that each passenger could alwayshave it in his possession ready for use. This was not possible beforebecause of the conventional life-saving equipment was too large andcumbersome always to be carried along by passengers aboard ships and allthe more'by flight passengers.

The enclosed drawings depict only two leading examples of how theinvention could be realized. Primarily intended only as an illustrationof the basic functioning principles of the invention, the two modelssketched are chosen from among a multitude of possible models andmodifications. In view of these considerations, all details that are notessential to the basic idea of the invention or its comprehension havebeen deleted. Another reason for this deletion is that there are anumber of alternative solutions available for use which can beconsidered as being common engineering practice.

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a lifesaving device of the present inventionwhen in use.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of a somewhat different construction.

FIGURE 3 shows the device of FIG. 2 on a larger scale.

FIGURE 1 presents the model of the invention that can be realized withthe least amount of materials and accessories. This model could be usedfor, say, swimming instructions or as an aid to enable an accomplishedswimmer to carry out certain functions in the water. In either case thewearers breathing is unimpaired and he does not have to execute anyadditional, much less any systematic swimming motions in order to beself-supporting on the surface of the water.

This basic model uses a balloon-shaped envelope 1 made of a soft plasticfoil which must be as transparent as possible, a polyvinylchlorideproduct, for instance. The swimmer or person learning to swim slips thisballoon over his head before entering the water and fastens it at hisneck to seal the enclosure 01f. The balloon envelope, which is elasticitself, can have an adequately elastic collar for this purpose which canbe stretched along with the balloon so as to fit over the persons headand then contracts again to the dimension required in order to makesufiiciently tight contact with the wearer's neck. Indicated in FIGURE 1by the numeral 3, this device offers an additional, exceptionaladvantage in that it is largely irrelevant what neck size the individualuser may have.

His head enclosed in the balloon envelope and sealed off at neck strap3, the swimmer is supplied fresh air via a short hose 5, whose suitablyshaped mouthpiece he holds and should always keep in his mouth (he canuse his teeth to do this) and which terminates at the top of the balloonenvelope in a valve assembly 6. This valve assembly 6 only permits freshair to be sucked in and its valves close automatically while the swimmeris breathing out. Moreover, the valve assembly can also be madesplash-Water or submersion-proof for special applications, as will bedetailed in the comments on FIG- URE 3. Since the air the swimmerbreathes out through his mouth and/or nose cannot escape to atmospherethrough the valve assembly, this used air will at first inflate theballoon breath by breath and as soon as it is fully inflated and anexcess pressure has materialized, the excess air finally takes the onlyavailable route, it escapes into the water through neck collar 3, whichhas been made elastic for this purpose. Water cannot enter the balloonagainst the internal pressure while used air is being ejected in thismanner.

Application of this model of the invention is limited *by the essentialrequirement that the swimmer always keeps the breathing hose or itsmouthpiece in his mouth. He must furthermore not lose his head if thehose does happen to leave his mouth but return it immediately in orderto keep the initial oxygen content of the air from being reduced toomuch and to avoid excessive CO from accumulating. It follows that thissimple model will be less suitable for life-saving applications at sea,since under such conditions the usually prevailing, unfavorable watersituation is made even more dangerous by the state of excitement andinsecurity of most shipwrecked persons 6 or airplane passengers and theentire unit can accordingly become useless.

In order to eliminate such danger factors from the outset and make theequipment employing the invented principle completely equal to therequirements of emergency use at sea, no matter whether the user is anexperienced crew member or a passenger whose life has never been indanger before and who moreover cannot swim, the model shown in FIGURE 1has been refined or made easier to operate as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.Just as in FIGURE 1, the general drifting position of a swimmeroutfitted with the unit also appears in FIGURE 2 showing particularlythe breathing mask 4, 7 and 8, 9 and the added retaining device beneaththe armpits of the swimmer with the sealing closure collar of theballoon. While air is supplied just as in FIGURE 1 through valveassembly 6 at the top of the envelope and hose 5, thetransparency-protection on the inside of the balloon is shown moreclearly in FIGURE 3 and designated with the numeral 2.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of the head area of a person equipped withthe life-saving unit corresponding to the schematic sketch of FIGURE 2,the attachment apparel extended from the neck collar and encompassingthe chest and/or arms of the swimmer being deleted, since it can beassumed that such accessories will be readily comprehended withoutdetailed drawings.

As this picture clearly shows, there is a special breathing mask 4 infront of the nose and mouth of the swimmer. In the model illustratedthis mask is held in place by a rubber strap around the base of thehead, so that all the wearer must do is to pull this assembly over hishead and see to it that it is firmly in position in front of hisbreathing organs. Breathing mask 4 has a valve assembly on its frontwhich consists of the outlet sys-' tem 8 and inlet system 9, which openinto the balloon interior from the chamber of the mask in front of mouthand nose. While outlet system 8 is designed to permit the swimmer tobreathe into the balloon interior, inlet system 9 forces him to overcomea certain amount of resistance or generate a certain amount of suctionpower source of fresh air from atmosphere always has precinterior if thesupply of fresh air from atmosphere via hose system 5 should temporarilybe blocked. This source of fresh air from atmosphere always hasprecedence. Chamber 7 in front of the mouth and the nose of the swimmeropens on both sides of breathing mask 4 into one hose 5 each, which areled off toward the back of the head and up to valve assembly 6 at thetop of the envelope, where they are terminated on fittings that canrotate in order to allow the hoses to assume the proper position whenthe device is slipped on.

Already mentioned above, the transparency-protected area in the field ofvision of the swimmer can simply consist of an inner balloon coatingthat repels water condensations. It is also possible to have theenvelope consist of a more rigid substance in the area in question or tomake this section double-walled with the space between layers eithersuitably evacuated or filled with a medium that will largely keep theused air from being able to form condensation droplets. It need surelynot be mentioned that condensation water or seawater which has managedto enter the balloon is automatically ejected along with the excess airwhich exits at each breath.

The fresh-air valve at the top of the envelope consists of a centrallylocated interior part 10 which opens toward the outside along severalchannels 11 which slope down slightly to permit water that may haveentered to flow out again. Within this interior part there is a light,airfilled sphere 12 similar to a ping-pong ball, for example, which islifted up by water that might enter and pressed against a valveaperture, which is then sealed closed. When no water has entered, thisaperture opens a path for the air to pass from the outside to thechamber surrounding the centrally located interior part. This chambertakes up the entire area of the valve assembly enclosure and opens intoan aperture on which a standard reed valve 13 is mounted which does notresist air entering from the outside and leads to a fork-shaped adapter14 fitting for the two hoses leading to the breathing mask. In thereverse direction this air route is blocked by the reed valve whoseelastic membranes are pressed against the inlet aperture sealing thevalve hermetically when the swimmer breathes out so that in this stagethe air breathed out can only take the route leading into the ballooninterior through outlet valve 8 of breathing mask 4. Similarly, inletvalve 9 of breathing mask 4 is opened only if water blocks the fresh-airpath leading from the outside to the breathing mask worn in front of themouth and the nose of the swimmer.

However, the invention is by no means to be interpreted as beingrepresented by the models illustrated in the appended figuresexclusively. On the contrary, the sample models chosen for illustrationand their corresponding explanation were expressly only selected vasexamples of how the basic idea underlying this invention could berealized.

I claim:

1. A life-saving device, comprising a balloon-shaped elastic envelopeadapted to enclose the head of a wearer 25 and to contain air breathedout by the wearer, said breathed out air serving as a reserve ofbreathing air and supplying hydrostatic buoyancy to the wearer in water,a breathing mask located in said envelope and adapted to enclose thebreathing organs of the wearer, a suction hose connected to saidbreathing mask, a one-Way valve located on top of said envelope andconnected to said hose for transmitting air from the outside sucked inby the wearer through said hose and into said mask but preventing theescape of air from the interior of said envelope, and an elastic strapconnected to said envelope and adapted to enclose the neck of thewearer, said elastic strap constituting an excess pressure valvepermitting the escape of some of the air from the interior of saidenvelope.

2. A life-saving device in accordance with claim 1, comprising an innercondensation repelling coating carried by said envelope and adapted toextend in front of the face of the wearer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 2,850,0119/1958 Schaefer 128142 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,479 6/ 1938 Great Britain.

1,113,108 11/1955 France.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. FERGUS S. MIIDDLETON, Examiner.

1. A LIFE-SAVING DEVICE, COMPRISING A BALLOON-SHAPED ELASTIC ENVELOPEADAPTED TO ENCLOSE THE HEAD OF A WEARER AND TO CONTAIN AIR BREATHED OUTBY THE WEARER, SAID BREATHED OUT AIR SERVING AS A RESERVE OF BREATHINGAIR AND SUPPLYING HYDROSTATIC BUOYANCY TO THE WEARER IN WATER, ABREATHING MASK LOCATED IN SAID ENVELOPE AND ADAPTED TO ENCLOSE THEBREATHING ORGANS OF THE WEARER, A SUCTION HOSE CONNECTED TO SAIDBREATHING MASK, A NONE-WAY VALVE LOCATED ON TOP OF SAID ENVELOPE ANDCONNECTED TO SAID HOSE FOR TRANSMITTING AIR FROM THE OUTSIDE SUCKED INBY THE WEARER THROUGH SAID HOSE AND INTO SAID MASK BUT PREVENTING THEESCAPE OF AIR FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENVELOPE, AND AN ELASTIC STRAPCONNECTED TO SAID ENVELOPE AND ADAPTED TO ENCLOSE THE NECK OF THEWEARER, SAID ELASTIC STRAP CONSTITUTING AN EXCESS PRESSURE VALVEPERMITTING THE ESCAPE OF SOME OF THE AIR FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAIDENVELOPE.